- The Newberry City Commission approved rezoning for Norfleet Construction's 500-home CountryWay II development on a 160-acre site adjacent to CountryWay TownSquare.
- CountryWay II's development can include up to 636 units with a minimum 3,500 square foot lot size and will have a new collector road to State Road 26.
- The City Commission approved a $60 fire assessment increase and a millage increase to fund inflation, fire plans, and cancer prevention in stations.
The Newberry City Commission took less than 10 minutes during Monday’s regular meeting to approve the final reading of a rezoning needed for Norfleet Construction Group LLC’s 500-home CountryWay II development.
The 160-acre property adjacent to CountryWay TownSquare contributes to the more than 2,000 homes approved by the city this year.
In March, the commission rezoned 160 acres west of Champions Park for the Sandia West development’s 500 single-family homes. The previously approved 225-acre Newberry Ridge development, slated for 1,250 homes over the next 10 years, was also rezoned in April and is currently under state review.
Monday’s unanimous vote proved consistent with the City Commission’s previous approval of CountryWay II’s first rezoning reading on Aug. 10, shifting the land’s status from agricultural to planned residential.
During the first reading, Gerry Dedenbach and Margo Patterson of NV5 represented the applicant, along with land use attorney Patrice Boyes.
Dedenbach said the development can build a maximum of 636 units and a minimum lot size of 3,500 square feet with a buffer around the community. CountryWay II will also provide a North/South collector roadway to provide residents and those of the neighboring Newberry Ridge development access to State Road 26.
CountryWay II’s approval process started two years ago and also received a 3-0 vote of approval from Newberry’s Planning and Zoning Board in May.
Since Monday’s meeting, community members took to Facebook to both criticize and support the City Commission’s vote in favor of more homes. Newberry Mayor Tim Marden joined the debate to defend the Norfleets and the commission’s vote in a comment.
He deemed the family a premier business and contributor to the community for providing local jobs and supporting city activities like the Fourth of July fireworks and Watermelon Festival.
Marden said the issue came down to growing populations and property rights and said housing prices would only increase if the supply of housing didn’t. He said he would not apologize for Newberry’s success.
“This addition to the current CountryWay Town Square expands one of the best designed and thought out [developments] in the entire Alachua County region. Site built, non-cookie cutter non-track homes for national builders,” Marden said. “Newberry is not immune to the forces of economics or market demands. Neither is anywhere…eventually. Newberry happens to be the place where people want to be in Alachua County. I will not apologize for that. In fact, we are flattered.”
The City Commission also approved preliminary budget increases on Monday, including a $60 fire assessment increase from $300 to $360 and a millage increase from 5.85 mills to 5.95.
Commissioners Monty Farnsworth and Rick Coleman dissented in the 3-2 vote.
City Manager Jordan Marlowe said the fire assessment increase would cover inflation and the fire master plan and the tenth of a mill increase in millage would go towards cancer prevention in fire stations.
Final budget adoptions are scheduled for September.